Donating duplicate tools to DIL

[dwasifar]

In this thread I mentioned that I might give my extra set of groove-joint pliers to my wife's daughter.

It then occurred to me that I have other duplicate tools she might be able to use as a fairly new homeowner, so I mentioned it to my wife, who said, "Funny you should bring that up. Her ex came over two days ago to get his tools, and took everything, including the tools that weren't his." So now DIL has a house and basically no tools.

I'm assembling a big bin of stuff I can spare, and augmenting it with a couple of new purchases. So far it contains the following stuff I had on hand:

3-piece Kobalt groove joint pliers set
Crescent multi-screwdriver (new in package)
China screwdriver set (new, bought from Aliexpress to review it, but that went sour, some of you may remember)
Stanley 25' Leverlock tape measure (also new - I got a deal on these and have about five of them still in their packaging)
Pittsburgh 12" combination square
Stanley retractable utility knife with five new blades in handle
24" Empire I-beam level
No-name caulking gun
Greenlee wire stripper
Dewalt safety glasses
The following 1990s Craftsman stuff: 10" locking pliers, 6" plier set (side cutter, slip-joint, and long-nose), 16oz fiberglass claw hammer, 8" adjustable wrench, hacksaw, SAE open-end wrench set, small lineman pliers
Makita 3/8" corded drill
Craftsman late-80s 7-1/4" circular saw with new general-purpose blade
Craftsman 1/4-sheet palm sander

Purchased new for this:
Dewalt 14-piece titanium drill bit set (well, I can't give her a drill and no bits, and I'm not splitting up mine)
3-piece Amazon Basics folding hex key / torx key set

I actually kind of hate to see that Cman 6" plier set go; they're really good and have served me well, but I bought Klein to replace the long nose and the dikes, and Channellock to replace the slip-joint.

Trying to think of anything else I can throw in there. Maybe I'll get her some putty knives.

The funny thing is I don't even talk to her. We've had our differences. But this is the house my wife's grandchildren live in and it has to be kept up.

 

[qqzj]

Does your DIL have a husband? Seems you are the wrong candidate for this job.

 

[Mallen]

Does your DIL have a husband? Seems you are the wrong candidate for this job.

Seems like she has an ex that's a jack hat and stole the few tools she had.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Nice of you to help her.

These suggestions may seem basic, maybe even condescending, but if someone has never had a house, they may not think of these things. My sister had a COLLEGE roommate who was from Florida and didn't know that pipes froze in Colorado.

Does she know how heating/cooling/hot water systems work? Maybe you can show her how to light the pilot light if needed? Hell, some people don't even have matches or a lighter if they don't smoke. Does she know how to work the thermostat.

You don't show where you are in the country. Do you know if the EX took the yard tools too? or if she had any in the first place?

A snow shovel if needed would greatly help her when the first snow comes. Make sure she knows to unhook the hoses etc

Also maybe a rake for leaves etc?

5-gallon bucket for unexpected water
duct tape, I know, but having it can sure help
flashlight
tarp/bungees
electrical extension cord (indoor/outdoor)
step stool
6 foot ladder

 

[Kscardsfan]

I myself would find the ex and repo my tools and get a bite out of his *** for my troubles. But your idea is smarter.

 

[dwasifar]

Nice of you to help her.

5-gallon bucket for unexpected water
duct tape, I know, but having it can sure help
flashlight
tarp/bungees
electrical extension cord (indoor/outdoor)
step stool
6 foot ladder

Some of these I'll definitely add. I have a shitload of flashlights, I can spare a couple. Ditto bungees. Extension cord I already thought of, I just don't want to give any of mine up, LOL. As for the bucket, I was planning to get one of those cloth tool organizers that go over a bucket to hold most of this stuff, so she'll receive a bucket that way. I saved all the buckets when I sealcoated my driveway, so I have plenty.

As far as yard tools go, I don't know. I don't have any duplicates of that stuff though, so I'm not buying anything unless I learn that it's needed. Presumably she has a snow shovel, but I'll ask.

Does your DIL have a husband? Seems you are the wrong candidate for this job.

Seems like she has an ex that's a jack hat and stole the few tools she had.

Yes. This guy's spitefulness knows no limits. She kicked him out when he got abusive with her older son and started choking him. Since then he's been Mister Dirty Tricks, like depositing the child support money and then withdrawing it, or swiping her mommy-van and leaving her a broken-down subcompact (which he can get away with because his name's on the registrations). The tool theft is just the latest in the series.

There's a tool-related irony here. Before they split, my wife had already bought his christmas present on her daughter's behalf: a very nice Dewalt contractor table saw that she got at work on closeout. Then they split up before christmas, so the saw sat here for months until I finally sold it on Craigslist last week. He cheated himself out of a new Dewalt saw and wound up stealing some used hand tools instead.

 

[belvedere]

Nice of you to help your step daughter.

 

[RTM]

You might want to ask how she’ll want to store them. My one daughter didn’t want a huge visible pile of tools, she is trying to pack it all into a tiny carry box. My other one and her husband took the old Craftsman tool stack, tho they are less handy, and have less space. But they have tools ready when I stop by to help.


I have lots of duplicates, for them, friends, neighbors etc. Their new HD tools break, so I give them a decades old tool.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Sorry the guy is an ***. Some people just ****.

Not sure how he can pull money back out. If he is on the account, then she needs a new account. If it is a real divorce (paperwork filed etc) or there is a child support order from the state, then she can file a complaint against him.

The things he is doing to her are examples of why it is so hard for woman to escape from abusive relationships. Those of us who have never seen it have a hard time understanding. But once you learn how bad and crazy it gets, you vow to never let it happen if you can help it.

One of the best things you can give her and the grand kids is to be there if they need help.

 

[dwasifar]

Sorry the guy is an ***. Some people just ****.

Not sure how he can pull money back out. If he is on the account, then she needs a new account. If it is a real divorce (paperwork filed etc) or there is a child support order from the state, then she can file a complaint against him.

He can't, any more.

At first they were using a joint account for this, so that he could deposit directly and she could withdraw directly without waiting for transfers to clear. It was an honor-system arrangement for mutual convenience. Then he decided to start messing with her, making the deposits so that he'd have a deposit receipt to prove he'd paid, and then withdrawing again and claiming he never made the withdrawals. She had to stop using the joint account and open an individual account, and so now it takes longer to clear the payments because he can't be trusted.

 

[dwasifar]

You might want to ask how she’ll want to store them. My one daughter didn’t want a huge visible pile of tools, she is trying to pack it all into a tiny carry box. My other one and her husband took the old Craftsman tool stack, tho they are less handy, and have less space. But they have tools ready when I stop by to help.

Once I get everything collected, I can probably dig up a carry box, or get one at HF.

 

[dwasifar]

Does she know how heating/cooling/hot water systems work? Maybe you can show her how to light the pilot light if needed? Hell, some people don't even have matches or a lighter if they don't smoke. Does she know how to work the thermostat.

In a general sense, she probably knows more about water heaters than most people. There's a sad story there that I'm not going to get into involving an unsafe water heater, the death of a toddler, and a big lawsuit.

I doubt that knowledge translates to practical experience, though I'm sure she could light a pilot light if necessary.

 

[larry_g]

Stud finder
Lg

 

[FMB4]

In my case when it comes to family the old but true phrase that 'no good deed goes unpunished' is written in stone.

 

[dwasifar]

Stud finder
Lg

aha! Good idea, and I have an extra.

 

[619DioFan]

Just being a realist here but you said the ex came and took things that were not his. what's to stop him from coming by again and taking the tools you plan to give her ?

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Sorry about her situation. Glad you are giving her a hand. I know tons of people who don’t even own a screwdriver they just call someone to do even the simplest things like changing a light switch cover or something. I maybe missing it but did you plan to give her a socket set? It’s definitely something to keep around as a homeowner though you won’t use it as much as say a screwdriver or something.

 

[dwasifar]

Sorry about her situation. Glad you are giving her a hand. I know tons of people who don’t even own a screwdriver they just call someone to do even the simplest things like changing a light switch cover or something. I maybe missing it but did you plan to give her a socket set? It’s definitely something to keep around as a homeowner though you won’t use it as much as say a screwdriver or something.

I thought about it, but I don't have an extra, so I'd have to buy one, and I'm hesitant to overbuy on this.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I thought about it, but I don't have an extra, so I'd have to buy one, and I'm hesitant to overbuy on this.

If you got any good pawn shops in your area I’d go there and buy some extras or loose ones that are common sizes. That’s what I done for my home tool set that is not for mechanics. Got all of them for nothing practically.

 

[Indexmill]

buy your DIL a German Shepard...

 

[Ton ton]

Cheap set of Chinese ratchet wrenches. I use mine all the time.

 

[dwasifar]

Just being a realist here but you said the ex came and took things that were not his. what's to stop him from coming by again and taking the tools you plan to give her ?

I just have to hope that she'll keep an eye on them.

 

[thugline]

Good on you for supporting your DIL. But wouldn't your DIL be your son's wife? Your wife's daughter from a previous marriage would be your step daughter.

 

[Neohio]

Put together a small hardware kit for her.
Some common household screws, drywall anchors, nails, wood glue, crazy glue etc. just a small plano box of hardware that will save her a trip.

 

[no704]

Need pics of DIL! Circuit tester and or multi meter.

 

[Keep]

A 12v drill/driver set. Ridgid always throws their combo kit on sale. Great set for less the $100. Best thing I bought my step daughter, uses it all the time. Plus the Ridgid batteries are life time warranty. Just make sure to register the tools!

 

[triesharder]

label the tools with your initials and document what you give her...if the guy takes them file theft charges for stealing your tools

 

[dwasifar]

Good on you for supporting your DIL. But wouldn't your DIL be your son's wife? Your wife's daughter from a previous marriage would be your step daughter.

Technically yes, but she was already an adult with children of her own when my wife and I married, I never had a hand in raising her, and I have a hard time thinking of her as a stepdaughter. DIL just feels more like the relationship.

 

[dwasifar]

Okay, here is the final haul:


Left to right, front to back (roughly), we have:

• Stanley utility knife, with extra blades
• HD wire stripper
• Masterforce pliers set (I decided not to part with my 1990s USA Craftsman ones)
• Craftsman (Taiwan) screwdriver set
• Kobalt groove-joint pliers set
• Craftsman (USA) locking pliers
• Craftsman (USA) fiberglass claw hammer
• Jorgensen workbox saw
• Craftsman (USA) hacksaw
• Craftsman (USA) adjustable wrench
• Craftsman (USA) SAE open end wrenches
• Harbor Freight tool box, containing various hardware (screws, nails, anchors, nuts & bolts) in the top compartment
• Carpenter's pencils
• Makita corded 3/8" drill (recently replaced trigger switch and cord)
• Small and medium zip ties
• 2 rolls electrical tape
• Steel wire
• Dewalt safety glasses
• Pittsburgh combination square
• No-name caulking gun
• Crescent multi-screwdriver
• Plastic and metal putty knives/scrapers
• Pittsburgh SAE/Metric 1/4" socket set
• Stanley jab saw
• Craftsman 7-14" circular saw, rough but works, with new blade
• Craftsman 1/4 sheet finish sander
• Stanley 25' Leverlock tape
• Dewalt driver bit set
• Empire 24" I-beam level
• Johnson 48" resin cast level.
• not pictured: Folding hex key set and Dewalt titanium drill bit set

I think that should hold her for a while. I could not locate my extra stud finder, but if it turns up before I go down there, I'll toss it in.

 

[Ton ton]

Nice tool set.

 

[RTM]

She’s Gonna be in better shape than some of my neighbors

 

[qqzj]

I'd rather find her the right man and save me a bunch of tools

 

[dwasifar]

I'd rather find her the right man and save me a bunch of tools

If she was any good at picking the right man, she wouldn't be in this situation.

The current guy seems like a decent sort, but not too smart. This is actually a step up from some of the previous, who were smarter but (as we've seen) untrustworthy.

A friend told me that every man her mother was ever involved with made off with her tools when the relationship ended. She recommended I paint these tools pink to prevent it. I told her painting one's tools is Just Not Done, though I see her point.

 

[gtae07]

You're a good man, OP.

 

[dwasifar]

I took them down to her house on Saturday, a 90 minute drive each way. She wasn't home so I left them with the grandkids.

I got a phone call from her the next day with effusive thanks. It's actually the first time we've spoken in 11 years, so it must have been quite an effort for her, but she was genuinely grateful and had already put her BF to work fixing things. So that's a win, I think.

 

[tool_scrounge]

This is a win!

 

[GirchyGirchy]

These suggestions may seem basic, maybe even condescending, but if someone has never had a house, they may not think of these things. My sister had a COLLEGE roommate who was from Florida and didn't know that pipes froze in Colorado.

I don't see that as being hard to believe...I'll bet your sister didn't know everything about living in Florida, either.

 

[dwasifar]

I don't see that as being hard to believe...I'll bet your sister didn't know everything about living in Florida, either.

Yep. I bet there are no palmetto bugs in Colorado.

 

[Metallitubby]

Stud finder
Lg

Am I the only one that read this as: "Husband Finder"?

 

[steaks&anvils]

I don't see that as being hard to believe...I'll bet your sister didn't know everything about living in Florida, either.

Yep, true. but the water damage was an expensive lesson.